Juicing: A ‘Nutrition IV’ – plus a recipe and 6 tips for success

There are a variety of detoxification formulas in the marketplace today, but I believe that juicing is the most effective and sustainable way to keep your liver, skin and organs happy.

Juicing is the process of extracting the natural liquids, vitamins and minerals from raw fruits and vegetables. I call juicing a “Nutrition IV,” because the nutrients go straight to work in your system, clearing out the gunk and oxidants from our bodies.

Benefits of juicing

I personally juice every day and recommend my clients do the same. I used to suffer tremendously from spring and fall allergies. But thanks to juicing, I can now enjoy these seasons without sneezing and wheezing.

Juicing is like liquid magic, and here is why:

1. You can greatly increase your nutrient intake.

Through the process of juicing, we retain the most potent vitamins and minerals from the foods we are using. By removing fiber, there is little to no digestion required. Therefore, juicing allows the nutrients to quickly and easily nourish your cells, detoxify your liver and support your lymphatic system.

We consider juicing to be a therapeutic, supplemental aid to your overall health and wellness, which can support clear skin, healthy hair and nails, balanced hormones and digestive health. With that being said, it is important to look at juicing not as a substitute for meals but, instead, as a pure infusion of essential nutrients – a “Nutrition IV.”

Are you unsure of what to do with the leftover pulp? You can save it for use in other recipes – filler for vegetarian meatballs, additional fiber for smoothies and thickener for soups. Just place it in an airtight container in the fridge to use within a few days (or in the freezer if you want it to last a little longer).

Getting as much out of our food as we can and reducing waste is a tenet of my Cuban heritage and Wildatarian™ lifestyle – an approach that is all about abundance.

2. It’s a powerhouse of goodness!

Juicing boosts immunity and supports healthy pH balance. Juices also put some pep in your step, as it is abundant in alkalizing agents, phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Juicing breaks down the plant’s cell walls, making it easier for someone with impaired digestive function to receive the plants’ health benefits. This delivery system gives the digestive tract a respite from the work of breaking down high-fiber foods to extract their nutrients. As a result, highly concentrated nutrients go directly into the system.

3. There are so many combinations.

Options are crucial to your success in any healthy living regimen. The exercise of making choices about what we want to eat, how we want to exercise, etc., keeps us engaged in the process and therefore committed to it. The possibilities with juicing are endless – as you will see in our recipe below!

Instructions

Mix and drink at once or sip throughout the day. Although not as nutrient-dense, juice can be refrigerated in a glass container like a mason jar for up to three days.

A serving is 4 ounces of juice mixed with 8 ounces of water.

To learn more about how to juice Wildatarian style and how I make my daily cilantro and cucumber juice, watch my Facebook Live video.

6 tips for juicing

1. In general, opt for vegetables instead of fruit when juicing.

Choosing vegetables over fruits when juicing helps to minimize blood-sugar implications. With fruit, when you eliminate the fiber, the sugar is more concentrated, so I save my fruit for smoothies. Remember, these juices go directly to work in your system.

2. Go green, and get lean!

And we cannot forget the compound that gives plants this beautiful color: chlorophyll. Chlorophyll can act as a cleanser, internal healing agent, rejuvenator, builder of red blood cells and liver detoxifier. The chlorophyll we ingest through green vegetables helps to oxygenate our bodies and promotes healthy cellular function. Disease is less likely to thrive in an oxygen-rich environment.

Consuming green-colored vegetables also helps with weight loss and maintaining a healthy metabolism.

3. Opt for organic.

Going organic helps to minimize your consumption of toxic chemicals like pesticides and herbicides. Especially, avoid the items on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list if they are not organic.

The extracted nutrients don’t need digestion – they are ready to go into your body and start feeding every cell. Juicing is essential to keeping your liver clean and it is a practice I enjoy daily. I really like masticating juicers like this OmegaVert. It’s easy to use and takes no time to clean.

4. Dilute your juice by a two-to-one ratio with water.

Since these juices go directly to work in your system, you may initially feel flu-like symptoms like nausea as you try different combinations. If you experience this, then simply mix less juice with more water, or change your combination of vegetables.

Why the queasiness? The deep green juices and their highly concentrated nutrients are potent liver detoxifiers. Little digestion is needed to put the juices to work. This can be somewhat taxing if your liver dumps toxins into a system that is not ready to handle them. That is why it is best to start slowly.

You do not need to drink a lot of juice in order to experience the benefits; four ounces daily will suffice. I usually recommend a minimum of two ounces of juice to four ounces of water daily. You still will experience the health benefits from the plant nutrients but in a gentler way. Once your body adjusts, you can drink the undiluted juice.

5. Consider adding lemon juice or apple cider vinegar as you add the deeper-colored and more bitter greens to your juices.

Just a quarter teaspoon is enough to get you started. Then you can decide how much you like. I recommend no more than one tablespoon, because these ingredients can affect your tooth enamel.

Fun fact: My clients find that the juice makes their bodies feel so good that they do not mind the taste of even the most bitter of greens; they associate the juice with how great it makes them feel!

6. Make juicing a part of your morning ritual.

As a result, you will notice a positive difference in the way you feel.

Want more recipes like this?

My book, The Wildatarian Diet: Living As Nature Intended, contains an entire chapter on juicing and beverages. And that is just one of several aspects of Wildatarian living we explore in the book. These concepts are evolved, sustainable, backed by science and supported by clinical outcomes from our private nutritional practice.

About The Author

Teri is an Integrative Practitioner and thought leader in nutritional counseling. She received her Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Florida and she is a graduate of the Huntington College of Health Sciences, the National Leadership Institute. She is a Certified Coach Practitioner (CCP) and has extensive certifications and experience in holistic medicinal practices, including the Healing Touch, Craniosacral Therapy, Meditation Techniques, and Herbology.